Incandescent lamp.



F. M. A. WYBAILLIE. INCANDESCENTLIAMP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-26,1917.

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INVENTOR- j'MzfZfl/y0a 1 1619., BY Wmfiz Patented Aug. 13, 1918 ATTORNEY F. M. A. WYBAILLIE.

INCANDESCENT LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-26. 1911.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEY lll llll

" ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

r1: NGIS M. M. WYBAIIILIE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ABSIGNOIB. OF ONE-HALF T AUGUIB'I' PEYMAN, or JERSEY our, new JERSEY.

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To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, FRANCIS M. A. Wreantnm, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Incandescent Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain novel and useful improvements in incandescent lamps adapted to be used in series with one another, with currents of high potential and has particular application to a lamp, which, in the event of the breaking or burning out of the filament, will automatically cut the filament out of circuit and place a resistance in the circuit so as to maintain the circuit closed and balanced, thereby enabling the remaining lamps in the circuit to remain energized. I

As is well known, in the use of lamps in series circuit, difiiculty arises from the breaking of filaments for the reason that when the filament of one lamp breaks, either the circuit is interrupted and all of the other lamps in the circuit extinguished, or an are formed across the filament which continues along the leading-in wires and into the stem of the lamp, and if this are is not stopped or broken, the socket is penetrated and destro ed, thereby breaking the continuity of t e circuit.

][n carrying out the present invention, it is my purpose to provide an incandescent lamp which will be constructed in such manner that in the event of the breaking burning out of the filament the filament will be cut out of the path of the current, and the current automatically directed through a resistance, thereby compensating for the loss of the filament in so far as the distribution of the current through the lamps or translating devices is concerned, and wherein the entire operation will be carried out automatically, thereby eliminating the need for manual testing to bridge the circuit around the defective lamp or locate the dead lamp.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth and falling within the scope of the claims. i

In the accompanying drawin s z Figure l is a view in side e ovation of a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

' Applicatlon and January 26, m7. Serial no. 144,701.

lamp constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary secinonal view through the butt end of the amp. 1 Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on the line 4=4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line 5-5 of Flg. 2, looking in the direction of: the arrow.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the filament holder and resistance carrier removed from the lamp.

Fig. 7 is a view of a detail of the inventlon.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view to show the support for the filaments, and the wirin%ghereof.

ferring now to the drawings in detail, 1 designates abulb of usual construction. Mounted upon one end of the bulb and fastened thereto in the usual well known manner is a connecting plug 2, that embodies a shell 3 havin one end surrounding the neck of the lamp ulb and fastened thereto, and the other.end equipped with a block 4 of insulating material carrying a contact 5, the

latter and the shell 3 being adapted to engage'the respective central contact and shell .end thereof, is a short glass tube 6 that constitutes a resistance carrier and has the inner end closed. Extending through the tube 6 is a relatively long glass tube 7 havin one end projecting from the open end 0 the tube 6 into the shell 3 and the other end projecting throu h the closed end of the tube and into the ulb and terminating short of the extremity of the bulb remote from the shell 3. Formed 0n the tube 7 between the tube 6 and the remote end of the lamp bulb are circular beads 8 suitably spaced apart, and secured in each bead 8 and radiatmg therefrom are filament supporting arms 9 spaced apart equal distances around the tube. These arms are formed in pairs connected by a bend which latter is molded seen in diagram in Fig. 8. Alternate arms 9 in each set are rigid, while the remaining arms are of a springy or resilient nature, and the springy or resilient arms of each set aline with the rigid arms of the other set, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The outer ends of the arms 9 are formed with hooks or loops -10, respectlvely, and trained through these hooks or loops is a filament 11 adapted to be rendered incandescent by the passage of the electric current therethrough in order to produce light rays. As shown herein, the filament is made in six strands, the upper extremlty of each strand connected with one of the uppermost hooks 10 and the lower extremity with a hook 10 directly beneath it; but the U- shaped supports are so disposed in their respective beads 8 that the bend of each upper support stands above the space between the two lower supports. The arms 9 of the divided support referred to are respectively connected by a wire 12 with the contact 5 and a wire 13 with the shell 3. By this construction, when the lampis connected up in circuit, current will flow from said contact along the wire 12, one arm 9', then down one filament strand, through both arms 9 of the support beneath, up the next adjacent filament strand, and so on throughout the series of strands to the other arms 9, and thence backon the wire 13 to the shell, thereby energizing the entire filament and causing the bulb to glow.

Secured to the filament supporting tube 7 by means of arms 14 are rings '15, and these rings are arranged upon the outer sides of the respective sets of filament supporting arms 9 and are disposed in juxtaposition to such arms so that in the event of the breaking of the filament the spring arms in the sets 9 will engage the rings 15. Arranged in the end of the tube 7 within the shell 3 is a fuse 16, and connected to the end of the fuse 16 within the shell 3 is a contact 17 connected with one end of a spring arm' 18. Encircling the tube 6 is a resistance coil 19, and one terminal of the resistance coil 19 is connected to the spring arm 18, while the other terminal is connected to the shell '3. In the present instance, a contact plate 20 is mounted on the inner side of the block 4 and is electrically connected with the contact 5,and this contact plate 20 is disposed within the path of movement of the-contact 17 so that the contact 17 will engage the plate 20 when the fuse 16 burns, the spring arm 18 acting to move the contact 17 into engagement with the plate 20 on the release of said contact by the fuse. This fuse 16 is electrically connected with one of the rings 15 by wires 21- and the rings are interconnected by a wire 22.

The outer ends of the wires 21 and 22 are preferably formed integral with the outer arms 14, respectively, and are twisted together and clenched in the glass end of the tube 7,- as clearly illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawings. Owing to the action of the spring 18, the wire 21 is held under tension, and, in the event of the tube 7 breaking off adjacent to the tube 6, the spring 18 will act to move the contact 17 into engagement with the contact 20 independ: ently of the blowing out of the fuse, thereby enabling the resistance to be connected in the circuit when the supporting tube of the filament is broken.

In practice, when the filament 11 is destroyed, the spring arm engages the rings 15, thereby causing the current to flow from such arms into the rings 15, and through the fuse 16 and the resistance coil '19, thereby causing the fuse 16 to melt and thereby to release the contact 17. When the contact 17 is in engagement with the plate 20, the current flows through the resistance coil 19, and as this resistance is the equivalent in Ohms of the filament 11, the circuit is balanced and the other lamps remain energized.

While I have herein shown and described the preferred form of my invention by way of illustration, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit or confine myself to the precise details of construction herein described and delineated, as modification and variation may be made within the scope of the claims and without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim 1. In an incandescent lamp, the combination with a filament-supporting stem; of spaced contact rings on sald stem, radiating spring filament-carrying arms mounted on said stem and normally maintained out of contact with the rings by the tensile strength of the filament, and means connected w1th said rings for establishing connection between 'the terminals of the lamp when said arms contact with said rings.

2. In an incandescent lamp, the combination with a filament; of a contact, a spring filament-carrying arm normally maintained out of engagement with said contact by the tensile strength of the filament, a fuse connected to said contact and adapted to be cut into the lamp circuit by engagement of said arm with said contact, and a spring contact arm connected to one terminal of the lamp and adapted for establishing contact with the other terminal of the lamp, said contact arm being normally prevented from establishing contact with the last mentioned terminal of the lamp by said fuse.

3. In an incandescent lamp, the combination with a filament; of a contact, a spring filament-carrying arm normally maintained out of engagement with said contact by the tensile strength of the filament, a fuse connected by said contact and adapted to be cut into the lamp circuit by engagement of said arm with said contact, a spring contact arm connected to one terminal of the lamp and adapted for establishing contact with the other terminal of the lamp, said contact arm being normally prevented from establishing contact with the last mentioned terminal of the lamp by said fuse, and a resistance included in the connection between the first mentioned terminal and said arm.

4:. In an incandescent lamp, a filament, sets of supporting arms carrying said lila-v ment, and connected by straight portions of said filament,'certain of the arms in each set being flexible and adapted to move upon the destruction of the filament, and means cooperating with said movable arms and adapted to be engaged thereby upon the destruction of the filament to close the circuit independently of the filament, said arms being normally held from engagement with said means by the tensile strength of the filament.

In testimony whereof ll affix-my signature.

FRANCIS M. A. WYBAILLIE. 

